This invention relates to an articulated piece for pivoting a pivotal reflector of a vehicle headlight about a first axis and about a second axis running perpendicular to the first axis, having, at an end facing away from the reflector, a joint shell that can be connected to a translational-movable spherical head of an adjusting device for pivoting about the first axis, and that can be connected to the reflector at an end opposite the joint shell.
German patent document DE-G 93 12 695.6 discloses a vehicle headlight wherein a reflector can be pivoted about a horizontal axis via an articulated piece. The reflector can also be pivoted about a vertical axis via a second articulated piece. Pivoting the reflector about the horizontal axis serves to regulate a light beam distance of the headlight. To that end, the reflector has a fixed joint at a vertical top, about which the reflector can be pivoted. At a vertical lower position, an end of the articulated piece directed toward the reflector is attached to a back of the reflector, so that its longitudinal axis runs approximately parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. At an end opposite the reflector, the articulated piece has a joint shell for connecting it to a joint bearing of an adjusting device. The joint bearing is movable in a translational manner by the adjusting device.
When the reflector is installed, the joint shell of the articulated piece is snapped onto a spherical head forming the joint bearing of the adjusting device. When this is done, the articulated piece must withstand relatively high latching, or snapping forces along its longitudinal axis, without buckling sidewardly. The spherical head is moved linearly by the adjusting device, while the joint shell tries to move in a circular path when the reflector is pivoted.
To minimize distortions of the reflector and radial forces of the joint shell acting on the spherical head, the articulated piece is structured to be flexible or elastic in a plane running perpendicular to the horizontal pivot axis. In this way, radial forces acting on the spherical head are decreased perpendicular to the horizontal axis. During pivoting about the second vertical pivoting axis, however, undesirable radial forces acting on the spherical head are created in a plane running perpendicular to the vertical pivoting axis.
It is an object of this invention to improve the prior-art articulated piece in such a way that radial forces occurring at the spherical head are further diminished or eliminated in both planes.